Kwara State Government Sponsors Four Players to African Youth Scrabble Championship, Produces Team Nigeria Captain
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The Kwara State Government under the leadership of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has reinforced its commitment to youth sports development by sponsoring four players to represent Nigeria at the 2025 Pan African Youth Scrabble Championship in Kenya — including the newly appointed Team Nigeria captain, Sufyan Olojoku.
The continental tournament will take place from August 14 to 17, 2025, at Brighton International School, Syokimau, Machakos County, Kenya, featuring 150 players from 11 African countries in the U-15 and U-19 categories.
Olojoku, a product of Kwara’s scrabble programme, was named captain by the Nigeria Scrabble Federation for his calm leadership, experience, and team spirit. Since 2021, he has represented Kwara with distinction — winning a silver medal at the National Youth Games in 2021, two gold medals and a silver in 2023, and representing Nigeria at both the 2024 World Youth Scrabble Championship in Sri Lanka and the African Youth Scrabble Championship, where he finished fifth.
This achievement reflects one of the many commitments of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration in developing youth through sports, and the visionary leadership of the former Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Sports Commission, Mallam Bolakale Adisa Mogaji, whose dedication has driven significant progress in sports development across the state.
Olojoku will lead a 10-man Nigerian squad to Kenya, with Kwara’s sponsored quartet joining players sponsored by Bayelsa, Lagos, Edo, Niger, and Akwa Ibom States.
The African Youth Scrabble Championship, organised by the Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA), is one of the continent’s premier platforms for discovering young scrabble talents. Last year’s edition, hosted in Lagos, saw two Nigerians — David Ojih (U-19) and Prestige Archibong (U-15) — emerge champions.
Olojoku, who recently completed his secondary education at Government Day Secondary School, Adewole, is seeking admission into Kwara State University (KWASU) to study Medical Laboratory Science. He expressed pride in flying Kwara’s flag and leading the country at such a high level of competition.
Team Nigeria is expected to depart Lagos for Nairobi on Monday.
By Olaide Ahli
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